Alexander's word from the Lord

This was written on November 12th.
Last night we said good-bye to the Ormond Beach team. Our wonderful youth pastor friends Al and Ginny Force brought a team of 43 adults to do construction on CIMA del Rey, medical ministry at the LACC school in Villa Altagracia, and evangelism in Bonao. Our farewell debrief was especially sweet. The boys and I were not able to be with the team throughout their week of victories so it was especially nice for us to listen to the testimonies and impact of their ministry with us this past week.
While we were listening to these testimonies Alexander went to Nelson telling him to that he wanted to stay something to the team. This is totally against Alexander’s character. He usually hates to speak in a microphone and he has even choked in the past when he was asked to speak. It is not easy for him to speak in front of a crowd. Nelson was concerned about the time so he put him off. Alexander was persistant he would not take no for an answer and finally he told me that he had a word from Jesus to share with the team.
It was late but we decided that we needed to let him share the word that the Lord had laid on his heart. He said that Jesus told him that he should get up and speak. Alex explained that he told the Lord that he was scared and he said he felt that Jesus was telling him that he should not be a coward. He referred to a time when he had a chance to speak and he chickened out because he was so scared of looking stupid. He said he did not what to do that again. The Lord assured him that he would give him the words to say. He told the team that the Lord wanted them to go back to the USA and share Christ where they live, just like they did here. He said that they did not have to be a missionary to share the love of Jesus and he said that a person does not have to be poor to need Jesus. Everyone everywhere needs Jesus. He asked the team to go back and continue to reach out to people.
We were amazed. It was certainly a God moment. We knew that he had a special impact on the team. I was so glad to see the Holy Spirit operating in Alexander.

Sometimes you pray for us, but today you should PRAISE with us!

I decided that today is a day for Praise Reports. This past month we felt like we have walked through a dark valley and even though I am not sure that the sun is shining and the sky is clear, there are some significant reasons to praise the Lord. All day long I have been reminded of God’s goodness in the midst of our difficult circumstances. And the Spirit of God has taken me back to his Word.

“Be joyful always, Pray continually, Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” I Thessalonians 5:16-18

I praise God today for;

1. My speedy recovery from this surgery. I feel great today! No longer am I fighting with abdominal cramps! My body is well once again. The doctors did a wonderful job. So many times I said that I would never have surgery in the D.R. if I had a choice. Well I certainly didn’t have a choice and in the end I see that the same God that guides the doctors in the USA is at work here as well. I thank God that he led us to some GREAT doctors. The doctor who found my problem was a Christian and he didn’t even charge us for the visit. The day of my surgery he called several times making sure that I was well taken care of by the clinics that did testing and the surgeons. These are details that I never really expressed and I feel like today is a good day to thank the Lord for Dr. Pimentel.
2. Marcus arm is perfectly normal. It has taken awhile but now he is fully extending his arm and except for two small scars on his arm, you cannot tell that he even had such severe accident. We had to put in his “back to normal” picture!
3. His protection. On Monday there was a strange odor that permeated the air in the west part of Santo Domingo. The boys went to school but after only a couple of hours they sent the kids home because of the odor. That odor ended up being a toxic gas that sent hundreds of people, mostly children to the hospital. It was a scary thing. Evidently the tropical storm winds blew the odor into the city while tanks were being cleaned. Normally the winds take the gas out to sea. My boys felt a little light headed but the Lord had his hand on them and they seem as wild and crazy as ever! Thank you Jesus for wild and crazy boys!
4. Speaking of the storm… with all the storms that have passed this season we have been blessed to not be in the middle of any of them. The alpha storm did leave 20,000 people homeless and we would certainly appreciate your prayers on their behalf. Yet with all the storms so far none of our family in central Florida or the Panhandle have been affected. PRAISE GOD!!!

The list could go on forever, but these are just a few that stand out to me today. For those of you who pray for us, well today I want to ask you to PRAISE with us!

¡Gracias Señor! ¡Eres siempre fiel! Thank you Lord! You are always faithful!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!

We are so grateful to you who stand with us in prayer as needs arise. We are coming to you today with some major pressings needs. We would really appreciate your prayers as we clearly discern an attack of the enemy.

1. Please pray for Rennae’s health as she is in recovery after emergency
surgery this past Monday evening. She had a large cyst and fallopian
tube removed. We are grateful to the Lord that we were finally able
to find the problem that had been causing severe abdominal pains for
a week.
2. Pray for our staff as just yesterday upon returning from the
hospital, we received a letter of resignation from one of our key
staff members. Some of you pastors understand the difficulty of this.
It is hard blow, but we are confident that God is in all of this and
He will provide new leadership for such a time as this.
3. Pray for our finances. We are sinking rapidly due to the economic
crisis (60% inflation and devaluation of dollar resulting in 40%
increase in cost of living) in this country that began over a year
ago. We are in desperate need for God to provide $30,000 over the
next 10 months to make it until our time of deputation next summer to
raise a new budget. This economic situation is unrelated to our
current CIMA project for which we are also raising the remaining
funds to pay it off.

It is hard to write this letter as it sounds so discouraging. There are so many wonderful testimonies in the midst of this. We are so grateful to you for being a part of expanding the Kingdom of God with us in the Dominican Republic. That is why we refuse to let the kingdom of darkness take any ground. Please battle in prayer with us. We are perfectly aware that our enemy is roaming about with strategies of discouragement and defeat but together we know that we stand victorious over Satan in the mighty name of Jesus.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Praise report from Haiti Trip!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR HAITI!!!

It is such a blessing to share with you this incredible praise report from our missions team that just returned from Haiti. Because of your prayers they crossed the border into Haiti and stayed in Cape Haitian, one of the principle cities in the interior of the country. This was a twelve hour rigorous trip that included crossing the so-called dangerous border zone and traveling the un-paved, difficult dirt roads through Haiti’s country side.

We fought so much opposition to make this trip happen. The main opposition was the fear of violence in Haiti. Because of the tension between the DR and Haiti, Haiti is a pretty dangerous place for Dominicans. The newspapers are always reporting of Dominicans killed in Haiti. We prayed and the Holy Spirit gave us clear direction that we were to make this trip and that we would be under His covering and protection. Our team named their trip “Vida por Vida” (A life for a life) and signed a pact that stated they would give their life for the gospel. They understood the cost.

Well the newspapers may report the bad news between Haiti and DR, but we have some good news to report!! (I have goose bumps even as I write this blog) Hear are the headlines!

1. Dominican Kings Castle Warriors Reach 2,638 Haitians with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The outreaches took place in Cape Haitian, a city known as the Voo-Doo capital of the World.
2. 149 Haitians made the decision to follow Christ!
3. Dominican Warriors experience SUPERNATURAL security! Amidst the volatile atmosphere of political elections season, our team was NEVER in any threatening situation!
4. Venezuelan missionary family catches the Kings Castle vision! The Sirit family is an Assembly of God missionary family sent by the Venezuelan A/G churches. They have been ministering in Haiti for four years. Their teenage children translated for our team and also were mightily used by God. Brother Sirit told us, “Just the fact that the team crossed the border to come visit us was a blessing enough. We never could imagine that we would receive so much from this small group of young people!”
5. Warriors make plans to birth Kings Castle evangelism teams in Haiti.
6. Speed-the Light Van makes it ALL THE WAY to Cape Haitian and back with out a problem. Miraculously NO FLAT TIRES!! Our Van was filled with bags of food sent in by Convoy of Hope, clothing donated by warriors and their families, and school supplies donated by local Castle teams.

“But I tell you, look around you,
and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.”
John 4:35
When Jesus spoke these words, he was standing in Samaria. The usual Jewish view of Samaria at that time was that it were no more than a vacant lot, filled with rubble. Jesus removed the blinders of prejudice from their eyes, to help them see a flourishing harvest field. Haiti is our Samaria. Jesus is adjusting our vision too, and the five warriors that came back from the Voo-Doo capital of the world have white fields shining in their eyes.

Thanks for being a part through your prayers and faithful support. This all started on the mountain of CIMA del Rey (our Caribbean Institute for Missions Advancement) where we prayed and caught of vision of these Haitian fields ripe for harvest. Some of you have sacrificially given offerings to help us pay for CIMA. Others of you have been standing with us all these years with faith promises, and intercessory prayers. And still others that are reading this have stood on Dominican fields (a lot of them baseball fields), put their hand in a puppet and joined us in preaching the Gospel. There are a few of you the have white fields in your eyes because our missionary vision here is so contagious. I know whatever your role in this great big missionary endeavor, all of you are rejoicing with us as we celebrate the work of the Lord of the harvest!

Marcus breaks his arm

Well we have been through a few really difficult days. Marcus fell from playing on the Monkey bars. It was a very safe playground but Marcus just fell wrong and ended up snapping apart his humerus (upper left arm bone). It was a MAJOR break and he ended up needing surgery. In the midst of it all he went into shock and we are were worried that he might of suffered a head injury. (No one really saw how he fell). He had CT scans and x-rays and has suffered excruciating pain. (That was really hard on mommy as well) The surgery went well and now he has two pins in his bone and a cast. We thank God that it wasn’t any worse than a broken arm.

With four boys in our house, we knew that a broken arm or leg was bound to happen. And Marcus is certainly our little monkey! I was telling this to the doctor yesterday as Marcus lay in the bed doped up and in A LOT of pain. Marcus overheard and spoke up ever so weakly, “NO mommy I not a little monkey, I a BIG monkey” I have to agree. He certainly had a Big Monkey bone fracture.

We are so grateful for your love and prayers.

FYI

Just FYI:

The previous posts need to be read in order.

1. Birthing the Butterfly MInisty
2. The Vision
3. Meeting Lily
4. Jesus comes to Lily

Jesus Comes to Lily

Jeannie and I started to ask Lily about her life. She was really open. She told us that she was 15 years old living on her own in Boca Chica. I got the impression that her mother was also a prostitute and live in Puerto Plata. Lily had been living on her own for five months. She hated her life there but it seemed to be her only solution. Jeannie asked Lily if she had ever asked Jesus to be the Lord of her life. Lily answered, “No.” Then she put her head on my shoulder and whispered, “I feel so weird.” It was then that she began to cry. We asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior. Lily looked back at our five smiling butterfly girls in the back seat. She asked the girls, “Did you all ask Jesus into your heart?” All five of them responded enthusiastically “Yes! Yes we did!” Lily then said confidently “Then I want Jesus in my life too.” She prayed the sinners prayer right there in my Speed-the-Light van.

I held Lily in my arms as she prayed and then I prayed for her and we all cried together because the presence of Jesus was so real and so close. As I held this 15 year old prostitute in my arms, I remembered once again the prophetic vision of my youth. There I was rescuing prostitutes in my speed-the-light van.

Just remembering the Presence in the van brings tears to my eyes. And what a privilege I had! I was able to be the arms of Jesus wrapped around that little girl. He was so real through our words and ministry because HE was seeking that little lost prostitute. HE was coming to Lily and in the end Lily came to Jesus. My heart just explodes to think that Jesus allowed me such and amazing opportunity to be a part of HIS work in the Dominican Republic.

Meeting Lily

Nelson & Rennae de Freitas
Meeting Lily

It was an incredible week as Jeannie brought the message “ Free as a
Butterfly” to minister to the girls. We had gifts with all sorts of butterfly themes. The idea of the butterfly really was a God given plan. Many of our girls are searching for true freedom that from the slavery that comes with a life of prostitution. It also has cultural roots as well. I will have to make that story for another day and another blog!!!

So here we were taking butterfly gifts to prostitutes in brothels and on the streets as well. We went all over the city and ended up our time in the town of Boca Chica. The entire city of Boca Chica is basically a brothel. This is where we were able to rescue 9 girls, all minors, through a police raid. We were able to keep them at our shelter for 10 days and then they were released to their families. This is the difficult part. We have been keeping tabs on them, doing follow-up care and Jeannie came to do a whole program with them for the day. We taught the girls worship dance and we ministered to them. They all got a butterfly T-shirt. It was really a special time. That evening we asked the girls to go with help us find the brothels and give gifts in the streets.

We met the girls at 10 pm. They all had on their butterfly shirt and big smiles on their faces. They were excited about helping us. We started driving around. We found quite a few places and girls. We gave the gifts and told them that Jesus loved them. Just ministering the love of Jesus made an amazing impact. I was surprised at the impact.

As we drove the girls recognized a friend (and fellow prostitute) on the street. We stopped and the girls called her to our window. “Lily!” they yelled. She came over and was impressed with their T-shirts. She asked “What are you chicas doing?” They explained and Lily said, “Hey that’s cool, can I come?” We said, “Sure hop on in!” She got in this van totally unaware of the incredible presence of Jesus that was about to invade her world.

The Vision

At the age of sixteen, I had the opportunity to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina on a short term missions trip with the West Florida District. It was a special time in my life and God used that trip to soften my heart to his calling to missions. I guess you could say that at that time, I truly felt "called to the missionfield" but I began to ask God what it was exactly that he wanted me to do.

One day as I was at the altar of my church praying I had a vision. I remember seeing a van driving up and down the streets of Buenos Aires, picking up prostitutes. I went home that day to tell my parents that I had figured out what I was going to do with my life. I was going to go to Argentina to rescue prostitutes in a Speed-the-Light mini-van. My mother and father smiled with that supportive, yeah-that’s-a-teenage-wild-idea expression.

Time passed and the Lord led me down what I thought to be and entirely different missionary journey. I forgot about the vision over the years. Instead of Argentina, God sent me to the Dominican Republic. We had been serving Jesus there eleven years the day that the vision was resurrected from my memory banks.

I was asked to participate in a meeting with former Congresswomen Linda Smith. She had come to the DR to see how her organization, Shared Hope International, could get involved in the Dominican Republic. It had come to her attention that the DR was the third worst country for human trafficking. She explained to us that the most severe case that had come to her attention was the problem of trafficking between the DR and Argentina. She wanted to see how she could form and alliance of people of faith in the DR that could help rescue Dominican women in trapped in prostitution in Argentina. That was when it all came back to me.

I literally had chill bumps all over my body. I could see that vision in my minds eye all over again. God always had it in his plan for me to rescue prostitutes from the streets of Argentina. He just had me doing it across the international borders and in his perfect timing.

It was from that meeting that I began to work with Shared Hope to form the Alliance against the Traffic of Women, Children and Adolescents. We set up offices and a home for temporary shelter. We had been working for just a little over a year with women who called our hotline or were referred to our offices when Jeannie Turner and her ministry team came to work with us on the streets of Santo Domingo and Boca Chica.

Birthing the Butterfly Ministry

Nelson & Rennae de Freitas

I have had it in my heart to take some time to "blog away" ever since an amazing week of mininstry that I spent with Jeannie Turner and three women from Ft. Myers Florida. Together, along with the team of Dominicans that I work, with we visited six brothels and many prostitutes in both Santo Domingo and Boca Chica.

Jeannie has a ministry to Strippers and women who work in the adult entertainment industry. Five years ago, I was privileged to be in a service at Ft. Myers First Assembly of God when five women who left the clubs were baptized in water. It was an exciting night, I will never forget it. I now know that it wasn't a coincidence that I happened to be attending that service. God had us there with divine purpose.

I remembered Jeannie when God began to open the doors for me to work with women who are involved in prostitution and human trafficking. As we began to form this Non Government Organization, (NGO) I knew that I wanted to put together an outreach ministry to these women. I just wasn't quite sure how to go about it . That is when I remembered Jeannie Turner. We began to dialogue back and forth. I asked her to come visit us here in the DR. Well she did come and there is so much to say about it.

But this story really starts aroung quite a few years ago. This story begins with an experience that I had when I was 16 years old...

King's Castle Directors Camp at CIMA del Rey 

Nelson & Rennae in front of CIMA

Nelson & Rennae in front of CIMA del Rey

Christmas photo taken at CIMA del Rey